People are moving to Kent County to take advantage of our quality of life. Excellent
public schools, rural settings, country roads with minimal traffic, and low property taxes all help
to attract citizens to our area. There is no doubt that controlled residential and commercial
development is beneficial to the county. However, I believe that the residential development has
far outpaced the existing infrastructure and immediate action is necessary to correct the
imbalance. I am concerned that these same qualities that attract people to our county are being
threatened.

Our public schools are overcrowded. The Capital, Caesar Rodney, Lake Forest, Milford,
PolyTech and Smyrna School Districts are all operating at or above student capacity for the 2006
- 2007 school year. Our student’s ability to learn has suffered as a result of the overcrowding. The
2006 school accountability ratings have been released and six Kent County schools failed to make
Adequate Yearly Progress (“AYP”). To review the detailed report go to

http://doe.k12.de.us/news/2006/0802.shtml.

School and classroom construction is underway to meet existing enrollment numbers.
Lake Forest is spending $15.6 million for school construction. PolyTech is building eighteen
classrooms to replace eighteen portable classrooms. The Smyrna school district is expected to
double in size by the year 2012 and is building the Sunnyside Elementary School and planning
significant additional construction. To fund school construction school districts propose
referendums. If passed, your real property taxes will increase.

Recent referendums have been unsuccessful in many instances. Smyrna’s referendum failed
in February 2006 and this same $94 million referendum will be reintroduced in September 2006.
Caesar Rodney’s referendum failed to pass last year. Capital School District is expected to
propose a $134 million referendum, spread out over the next five years.
Right now, in Kent County, there are over 40,000 approved lots upon which new homes
will be built. It is estimated that 1,000 new homes will generate 600 new students. Therefore,
40,000 homes will generate 24,000 new students. The least expensive school to build is an
elementary school and one report I read estimates it costs $26,000,000.00 to construct a school
for 600 students. Since 1,400 certificates of occupancy are issued each year in the county, this
will add about 840 additional students annually.

Fire and emergency medical services (“EMS”) are overburdened. Fire companies are
searching for ways to buy needed equipment and to pay EMS salaries. Ladder trucks, costing
around $750,000, and firehouses to store them in, costing millions, must be secured. About one
half of a fire department’s revenue is funded by the State, County and City. The other half is
raised by the fire department. Diversions from Bayhealth Medical Center to other more distant
emergency rooms occur about twice a week.
When I think about our schools, emergency services, and crowded roads it is obvious that
the infrastructure has not kept up with development.
New home construction should not substantially outpace the creation of the infrastructure
to support it. That is why I feel it is so important to tackle the infrastructure issue at this time. The
proposed Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance (“APFO”) helps to solve this problem. Under the
APFO a major housing subdivision will not be approved if the existing infrastructure can’t absorb
it. Certain studies addressing schools, roads, water and emergency medical services are required.
If the existing infrastructure is not adequate, the development will not be approved unless the
developer provides the funding to construct the needed improvements. This allows the proper
checks and balances to be in place so that growth occurs at a rate equal to the construction of the
needed infrastructure. It also helps to keep your real property and personal income taxes from
rising.

Some argue that slowing down housing development will slow down the economy.
However, according to 1998 census figures, construction jobs comprised only 5% of the county’s
employment sector. See the Kent County Comprehensive Plan Update, 2002 - Table 3.1. As
stated above, at the rate of 1,400 homes per year, it would take 29 years to build out the 40,000
lots already approved. Accordingly, even a complete construction freeze wouldn’t be felt for
decades and the impact of 5% for direct construction employment would be minimal.
I feel it is extremely important to take action now so that our children can experience the
same quality of life that we have enjoyed. As your voice in Kent County Government I pledge to:

*Fight to keep growth in the “Growth Zone.”

*Provide incentives to retain prime agricultural land through programs such as the
Transfer of Development Rights and the Open Space Preservation Program.

*Require the use of the most effective sewage disposal systems.

*Aggressively advance the Kent County Environmental Awareness/Assistance
Programs.

Brad Eaby